Learn French on your computer. If you aren't in France, and you don't have a good French teacher, try using your computer! The better programs (and more expensive ones) have enough flexibility and feedback to (almost) make up for not being in France and not having a good teacher.

It is certainly very convenient to be able to boot up your computer any time and practice your French, drill in vocabulary, take quizzes in grammar and hear your (improving) pronunciation.

And the computer won't raise its eyebrows when you murder the French "u" sound, as in "tu". The better programs let you record your voice so you can compare it to a genuine French voice.

Some of these (all noted) won't work with Windows XP, thus explaining their low prices. Can you pick up an old clunker of a computer with Windows 98 for a few hundred?

You may also like: Books for learning French
Books about Paris and France

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Computer Software for Learning French

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Rosetta Stone French Level 1 & 2 Personal Edition By Rosetta Stone / Fairfield Language Technologies Program for Mac OS, Windows, on CD-ROM. The Rosetta Stone method of teaching French is used by the U.S. State Department. It teaches word recognition, writing, pronunciation and intonation. Buyers' reviews are good. Suitable for adults and children Ages 6 and older. Although it has the highest price of these courses, (about $264) it seems to be the most effective software for learning French on the computer. All the reviews are 5, as of Dec 04. Inspect/Order Rosetta Stone French Level 1 & 2 Personal Edition from Amazon.com

TeLL me More French Premium Collection (Beg-Int-Adv) By Auralog Program for Windows on CD-ROM. French reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, vocabulary, culture. Interactive software with voice recognition. This includes the edition shown at the immediate left. Around $200 - with software, you generally get what you pay for. There are no reviews yet for this one (Dec 04) but it appears to be an effective course. Inspect/order TeLL me More French Premium Collection (Beg-Int-Adv) from Amazon.com

Talk To Me French (Beg-Int-Adv) By Auralog Program for Windows, on CD-ROM. 3 levels included: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. More than 100 hours of training in pronunciation and comprehension. It uses speech recognition to detect and correct your errors! Almost as good as a real teacher! Around $50. Inspect/order Talk To Me French (Beg-Int-Adv) from Amazon.com

Power-Glide Childrens' and Adult French Courses. Videos and Software.

SmartFrench By SmartFrench Program for Mac OS, Windows, on CD-ROM. Learn French with simulated conversations with French natives. Simple explanations of French grammar in an inexpensive course. Around $30. Inspect/Order SmartFrench from Amazon.com

Asterix - Learn French: for Intermediate/Advanced Learners By EuroTalk Program for Mac OS, Windows, including XP. For those with some knowledge of French. Asterix French teaches French by presenting the cartoon story of Asterix the Gaul and his son, bringing it to life on your computer. Around $30. Inspect/order Asterix - Learn French from Amazon.com

I Can Speak French By Transparent Language, Inc. Program for Windows, on CD-ROM. Start with the basics of French. Participate in simulated conversations. Take interactive quizzes as you progress in French. Very low price. Inspect/order I Can Speak French from Amazon.com

Advanced DVD French By SmartFrench DVD for Windows, on CD-ROM. For listening comprehension of French on your computer. Around $30. Inspect/Order Advanced DVD French from Amazon.com

Ecoutez 1 French: for Intermediate Learners By EuroTalk Program for Mac OS, Windows, including XP. Learn French with Interactive quizzes and exercises. You can record your voice and compare it to those of native speakers. Around $30. Inspect/order Ecoutez 1 French from Amazon.com

Ecoutez 2 French: for Intermediate Learners By EuroTalk Program for Mac OS, Windows, including XP. For use after Ecoutez 1 French. Around $30. Inspect/order Ecoutez 2 French from Amazon.com

Tell Me More French 4.0 By Auralog Program for Windows, on CD-ROM. Suitable for ages 11 to adult. Not for the very beginner. Interactive software with voice recognition. Around $43. Inspect/order Tell Me More French 4.0 from Amazon.com

Instant Immersion French Platinum By Topics Entertainment Instant Immersion French Platinum. Program for Windows NT, 2000, XP. 11 CD-ROM's in the set. 750 hours of instruction in French pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, speaking. Interactive software with voice recognition. Around $76. The one review, as of this writing, is dated before the software was ever sold at Amazon.com Inspect/order Instant Immersion French Platinum from Amazon.com

Learn to Speak French Deluxe Traveler's Edition By The Learning Company Program for Windows 95 / 98, XP. French pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, speaking, reading, writing. Interactive software with voice recognition. At around $14, with some used editions available, this is a low-risk way to try out computer-based learning. Inspect/order Learn to Speak French Deluxe Traveler's Edition from Amazon.com

French Before You Know it By Transparent Language Program for Windows, on CD-ROM. Essentially a way to drill you on French words and phrases using the computer. Great practice for someone who is beginning. The price is low, around $30, making this a low-risk investment in learning French. Inspect/order French Before You Know it from Amazon.com

Smart Start French Deluxe By Knowledge Adventure Program for Windows 95, 98 on CD-ROM. Not for Windows XP. Although the buyers' reviews are mixed, this seems to be a good way to get practice and to build your French vocabulary. For the price, around $16, it seems like a good buy. Inspect/order Smart Start French Deluxe from Amazon.com

Complete French Learning Suite By Transparent Language Program for Windows 95 / 98, XP. Games, lessons and multimedia helps you learn vocabulary, grammar, speaking, reading and writing. Inspect/order Complete French Learning Suite from Amazon.com

Easy Translator 4 Deluxe By Transparent Language Program for Windows, on CD-ROM. A $50 translation program can give you the meaning of one word, and the approximate sense of a phrase. Machine translation generally does not produce meaningful results for sentence-length input. I recommend it for getting the general sense of things written in a language that you don't know. No matter what the manufacturer says! English to French French to English Inspect/order Easy Translator 4 Deluxe from Amazon.com

Franklin TG-450 12 Language European Translator By Franklin Electronics For about $30 you get a handy dictionary for French and other languages. The word "translator" is advertiser hype. There is no way that a pocket device can translate. There are no "universal translators" as on Star Trek. Humans can translate. Machines can look up words and phrases. Inspect/order Franklin TG-450 12 Language European Translator from Amazon.com

Learn French Now! 9.0 By Transparent Language Program for Mac OS, Windows 95, 98, XP. For beginners. Learn French with listen and speak activities, grammar tools, vocabulary games and videos. Practice your French grammar interactively with this program. Simulated conversations give you practice. Very low price. Inspect/order Learn French Now! 9.0 from Amazon.com

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